Getting to Know You
by Aemy
Summary: Summary: Rin and Rei are forced to share a hotel room and things happen. Just some porn ... or something close to it. Rin/Rei, hinted Nagisa/Aiichirou, Sousuke/Haruka. I'm sorry about my amateurish writing. I'm also sorry that the characters are most likely not very nicely written.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Rin and Rei are forced to share a hotel room and things happen. Just some porn ... or something close to it. Rin/Rei, hinted Nagisa/Aiichirou, Sousuke/Haruka

" What the hell do you think you are doing ?!" Rei asked immediately as he stepped out of the bathroom and saw his roommate standing at the opened window and holding a cigarette. Rin took a drag out of it and let the buff of smoke out from between his lips slowly as he turned to look at the younger boy.

" What does it look like I'm doing ?" he asked and Rei frowned, threw the towel that was wrapped around his shoulders on his bed and angrily stomped closer to his friend.

" How can you smoke ?! You are a swimmer ! Do you know what these things do to your lungs?!" he almost shrieked and Rin sighed.

" Of course I do, I'm not an idiot." he said and was about to place the cigarette back to between his lips when Rei who was now standing next to him grabbed onto his wrist and stopped him.

" If you weren't an idiot then you wouldn't even think of doing something like this to yourself. You could ruin your life like this !" he said seriously and Rin just looked at him and then he couldn't help but chuckle. Rei frowned and gripped his wrist harder.

" This is not a laughing matter ! Cigarettes are capable of ruing lives ! No … not only ruing, they are capable of taking lives away !" he said angrily and Rin suddenly surprised him by placing his free hand on the top of his head and messing up his damp hair affectionally like he usually does to Aiichirou.

" Relax. It's not like I'm a regular smoker … I only have one once a month or so." he said and Rei just stared at him.

" Why ? " he asked and Rin shrugged and turned to look out of the window

" I guess it just helps me keep me calm when I feel overwhelmed" he said softly. There was a long silence during which he felt Rei's grip on his hand loosen slightly.

" That … that's not beautiful at all." He said softly and then frowned.

"What could you possibly be overwhelmed about right now ?" the boy asked just as softly and Rin was quiet before he smiled and looked at him again.

" I think you know." he said and Rei suddenly blushed and took a step backwards, letting go of Rin in the process. He then nervously licked his lips and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

" I … I have no idea what you're talking about." he said and Rin once again chuckled, he savoured the taste of the cigarette for the last time, then stabbed it out on the windowsill and threw it out of the window carelessly. Rei was about to say something but the words died on his lips when Rin suddenly moved to stand in front of him and leaned in close, placing his hands on each side of him on the wall.

" What about you, huh ?" he asked and Rei looked into those deep scarlet eyes and swallowed hard.

" W-what about me ?" he asked softly. Rin grinned.

" You took your sweet time in the showers, you were obviously worked up about something." he said and Rei who just realized that he was wearing only his sweat pants and nothing more, suddenly shuddered involuntarily. He also suddenly realized that he couldn't deny that he was feeling rather anxious about having to share the hotel room with Rin from all the people. Sure, they were very good friends now, but there still were moments where there was a lot of unbearable tension between them.

Truth be told if he had a choice he would have done his best to avoid agreeing to this room arrangement but Gou really didn't give him or anyone else that option. It was the first time the two swimming clubs were having a joint practice at the sea. And it was also the first time they didn't have to sleep in the tents because the two clubs put together their savings and thanks to that they were able to afford the rooms in a hotel.

It was also the first time Gou insisted that the rival team members should try to get to know each other better not only during their training but during their free time as well. She had decided that the swimmers of the same swimming styles of each team should be sharing rooms. So that's how Rin and Rei ended up together while Nagisa and Aiichirou were in the room across the hall from them. Makoto and Momotarou were in the room on the right side from them while Haruka and Sousuke were forced into the room on the left.

Briefly Rei wondered how Haruka and Sousuke were getting along since he had noticed that there was a lot of tension between those two as well. _I hope everything is okay with them, it would be most troublesome if their relationship got even worse than it already is _ he thought. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a pain in his right cheek and realized that Rin was pinching him.

" Ow ! Cut it out !" he said as he swatted Rin's hand away and his friend chuckled again.

" Sorry, sorry. But it's rather rude of you to wander off somewhere while I'm talking to you, don't you think ?" he asked and Rei just stared at him for a while and then sighed and closed his eyes.

" Sorry. What were you saying ?" he asked and Rin grinned.

" I was saying that you were probably wanking off in the bathroom, that's why it took you so long." he said as casually as he could and Rei's eyes flew open in surprise.

" What the hell ?! Have you lost your mind ?" he asked and Rin's grin widened as he leaned in closer so their noses almost touched.

" You may try to deny it but that cute little blush on your cheeks right now betray you, it's all the confirmation I need to know that I'm right." he whispered tracing Rei's jawline with his finger and the younger boy felt the heat on his face grow and he couldn't help but shudder again. He slowly turned his face to look away and took a moment to gather his thoughts, to carefully formulate his reply in his mind. After a moment he straightened his back again and looked straight into Rin's eyes again.

" It … it really isn't any of your business, Rin-san, but maybe I was. Maybe I did give in to the need for pleasure." he said and pushed his glasses back on his nose.

"So what of it? It's only natural for a guy at my age. I'm sure you have gone through this yourself." he said and Rin chuckled.

" Of course I have, in fact I still am. " he said and Rei frowned.

" So what the hell is your problem ?" he asked and Rin shrugged.

" I don't have one." he said and Rei's frown deepened.

" Then could you please remove yourself from my personal space ? You stink like an overused ash tray. I really can't stand it anymore." he said already pushing himself off the wall with the intention of walking past Rin. The latter however pushed him back against the wall and once again trapped him like he did before. Rei tried to push himself off the wall again but Rin kept his hand on his chest and effectively held him in place. Rei gritted his teeth in anger.

" What the hell are you doing ? Let go of me. " he demanded.

" What I'm doing ? I'm trying to get to know you better, that's why we are here." he paused to lean in even closer to the bluenett.

" Remember ?" he whispered into Rei's ear and Rei involuntarily blushed again and he swallowed hard before he was able to talk again.

" It's getting late. We should go and rest up for tomorrow." he said trying to push Rin away, cheering a little inside when the red head allowed him to create a small gap between the two of them. He wasn't pleased with the fact that he refused to move away further though, he also didn't like the way Rin was laughing at him.

" What are you talking about ? It's only 8 o'clock. We need to wake 10 am. tomorrow, we can afford to be awake for couple of more hours." he said and Rei frowned but didn't say anything.

" Besides … there's only one more question I need to ask you." he said and Rei sighed and closed his eyes again.

" Very well then. What is it ?" he asked and Rin examined his face for a while before grinning again.

" Gou or Haru ?" he asked and Rei'a brows furrowed before he opened his eyes.

" Huh ?" he asked and Rin's grin widened.

"Which one were you fantazising about while touching yourself ?" he asked and Rei just stared at him with his mouth agape and a blush once again spreading all over his face.

" Wha … what kind of a question is that ?" he croaked out in shock and Rin shrugged.

" It's a simple question." he said.

" No it's not !" Rei immediately argued.

" Well it's not complicated either … You'll just have to truthfully tell me which one you imagined you were with, that's all." he said and Rei just stared at him for a while.

" I have absolutely no obligation to tell you anything of the sort." he said and now Rin also frowned.

" What's the big deal here ? I just want to get to know you better." he said and Rei now groaned and covered his face with his hands.

" This is not a normal conversation !" he said and then looked at Rin through his fingers.

" You are not normal !" he said and Rin now grinned again.

" Why thank you !" he said and Rei now uncovered his face completely so he could curl his fingers into fists instead.

" That was not a compliment, you idiot !" he said and Rin smirked and then leaned in to whisper into the bluenette's ear again.

" What are you so afraid of ? You afraid that I'd beat you up if you said Gou ? Is that it ?" he asked softly and Rei tried to push him away again but Rin just pressed himself even closer. Making it almost completely impossible for Rei to move at all.

" I'm not afraid of anything. I just can't see how any of this is relevant." he said and now Rin placed his forehead against his. Rei didn't quite understand why the other boy was so touchy feely with him suddenly but he was also reluctant to try to figure it out.

" I already told you. I want to get to know you better." he said and Rei sighed.

" If so then ask normal questions about my family or my childhood or my future plans … anything but this !" he said and Rin pulled away a little.

" I know enough already about those things. Now it's time to find out about the more personal … intimate stuff." he said and Rei frowned.

" Intimate stuff should remain intimate." he said and Rin sighed.

" Damn, you are one stubborn bastard." he said as he slumped forward in defeat resting his forehead against Rei's shoulder this time. He just stood there in that position for a while making Rei feel awkward and kind of uncomfortable. When the younger boy was about to try and push him away again, Rin suddenly straightened himself up and took a deep breath before he managed to talk again.

" I have fantazised about all the boys." he said seriously looking into those captivating eyes behind the frames. Into eyes which grew ridiculously wide after that honest revelation.

" What ?" Rei asked in surprise.

" I'm not gay, I'm bi. But since the only girl I ever have time for is my sister, I really don't have wet dreams about people with boobs." Rin continued matter of factly and Rei blushed again.

" Wh... Why are you telling me this ?" he asked

" I'm not really sure why but on Mondays it's usually Haru" he continued ignoring Rei's question.

" Wai... wait a mome..." Rei wanted to continue but was interrupted by Rin who suddenly grabbed onto his hand and dragged him towards the bathroom without hearing out the protests the younger boy was vividly voicing.

When they were at the door Rin forcefully pushed Rei inside and slammed the door shut after himself. He then grabbed onto the bluenette's hand again and led him towards the showercabin.

" Ri... Rin-san, what are you... ?" he trailed off with a gasp when he once again was forcefully pressed against the wall and Rin was once again towering over him.

" In my fantazies we always do it like this." Rin said and leaned a bit to right to turn on the water. Rei just stood there watching up at the falling drops of water before he realized he was going to get wet again and looked at Rin with the intention to complain. Rin however leaned in, took off his glasses, placed them onto the self nearby and quickly captured Rei's already parted lips with his own. Taken by surprise and hating the lingering taste of cigarettes from Rin's lips Rei started to push his friend away but Rin wrapped his arms around his waste and pulled him forcefully closer to himself.

When Rin pulled away he suddenly grabbed onto Rei's right leg off the ground, making the bluenette unsteady and almost lose his balance until he brought the other arm around and placed it under Rei's buttocks to support him. Finally getting out of the shock of being suddenly manhandled worse than before, Rei however started to struggle slightly.

" Wha … What the hell are you doing ? Let go of me ! Let go of me this instant !" he demanded, hitting Rei's chest with his fists, trying to free himself but Rin just smiled.

" I would wrap your arms around my neck if I were you. Otherwise I'll drop you and you'll get hurt." he said as calmly as he could and Rei just blushed and blinked at him.

" Have … have you lost your mind ?!" he asked and Rin's smile grew.

" Haru always likes to do it like this." he said and Rei once again just blinked at him.

" You have … You … you really have lost your mi... Aaah ! " Rei let out a scream when Rin without a warning lift his left leg off the ground with the hand that was supposed to be supporting him and he had no choice but to do as he was adviced. He quickly wrapped his arms around Rin's neck and Rin slammed him against the wall, making Rei hit his head.

" Ow ! That hurt !" Rei said softly and Rin who adjusted his hold on Rei's legs also moved his hips forward, making Rei gasp as he felt something hard through his now throughly soaked sweat pants.

"Sorry … Haru likes it a little rough." Rin whispered and before Rei could tell him that he was not Haruka-senpai, the red head captured his lips into a passionate kiss again. They made out in this weird kind of position for quite a while until Rin found it hard to hold him up and he slowly let the younger boy down on the floor. He then turned off the water and looked at Rei who looked more than just a little dazed.

" Um … it's safe to let go of me now." he said and Rei who hadn't realized that his arms were still wrapped around the other's neck blushed bright red again and let go of his friend as if he was burnt.

" I … I'm sorry !" he said and then suddenly frowned.

" No ! Wait, I'm not !" he said now suddenly feeling angry, his hands now curling into balls again.

" WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ?!" he screamed and Rin who was busy pulling off his soaking wet shirt chuckled softly.

" What do you mean ? It was an usual Monday." he said showing off his well toned back to Rei who was stunned by the sight for a second, even though this was hardly the first time he had seen his muscles. After a moment he came out of his daze and shook his head.

" There was nothing usual about it !" he demanded and shrieked when he saw Rin pulling down the zipper of the jeans that he was wearing.

" What are you doing ?! You you're not taking them off, are you ?!" he asked and Rin looked at him over his shoulder.

" Hm ? They are soaking wet through and through so of course I am taking them off." he said.

" If you don't want to catch cold I suggest you do the same." he added and then Rei noticed that his friends eyes were glued to somewhere lower on his body than his face, much lower. Out of curiosity he looked down on himself and noticed that his pants were stuck to his body and didn't leave much to imagination or rather they didn't leave anything to imagination. He blushed again and looked at Rin.

" Get out." he said softly and the red head snapped his head up to look at him and swallowed hard.

" Huh ?" he asked.

" GET OUT ! GET OUT ! GET OUT NOW !" Rei yelled, grabbed the soap and threw Rin with it. The boy dodged it with ease and then dodged again when a bottle of shampoo was thrown into his direction.

" Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going ! Geez !" he laughed.

" But I must say I'm really looking forward to Tuesday" he said and with that he disappeared through the door leaving Rei behind.

_What the hell just happened ? _ Rei asked himself as he walked to the sink and looked at himself from the mirror.

_No, the real question is why I let something like this to happen ? _He asked and sighed when he couldn't find a suitable answer to explain himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note's: **This chapter has a lot of Sousuke/Rin friendship in here, also Rin/Rei and a little bit Haruka/Sousuke ( hinted, somewhat)Also it contains my version of the revelation truth about Sousuke.

" Are you sure your shoulder can handle it ?" Haruka asked as he and Sousuke walked towards the beach and the taller boy suddenly stopped walking.

" What ?" he asked feeling surprised by both, the sudden question and also by the fact that Haruka actually talked to him. After the two of them found out that they were forced to share a room, neither of them had said a word to one another. Not even a polite 'good night' nor 'good morning' was exchanged between the two boys. Sousuke didn't expect that blissful silence to be ruined this way, he was rather annoyed by it, to be honest.

After a small pause Haruka also stopped walking and looked back at Sousuke over his shoulder.

" If it's bothering you more than before then maybe you should take a break instead of going through with this training." he said and Sousuke's hand moved to touch his shoulder on it's own accord and he lowered his head.

" Never thought you would fall that low." he said softly and then raised his eyes to meet Haruka's.

" You would actually humiliate yourself like this just to get rid of your rival ?" he asked sounding pissed off and the Iwatobi's ace swimmer now also frowned. Turning himself to face Rin's best friend directly he sighed.

" I'm not trying to get rid of you, I'm just concerned about you and ... " he wanted to continue but Sousuke interrupted him.

" That's a pile of bullshit !" he snapped harshly and Haruka took a step backwards in surprise, suddenly wanting to increase the distance between them more than they already had.

" You don't give a shit about my well-being just like I don't give a shit about yours. " Sousuke added and raised his once again lowered head to glare at Haruka who was silently observing him.

" Admit it. You hate me just as much as I hate you." he said and Haruka's eyes grew wide briefly before they slowly closed.

" I don't hate you." he said softly before he turned his back on Sousuke and started to walk away but stopped in the middle of his step.

" I thought we might become friends here at the sea but now I know it's impossible." he said.

" Thank you for letting me know." he said and he continued to walk towards the beach again leaving his companion behind. Sousuke just stood there for a while before following him.

When he arrived at the beach he took a moment to take in his surroundings when suddenly he was tackled from behind, causing him lose his balance and fall face first into the sand. As he turned his head to the side he heard laughing from above him.

" This is a penalty for being late, Yamazaki-senpai !" a familiar voice said and Sousuke sighed.

" Get off" he said in an icier voice than he intended to and with a small 'eep, scary' Momotarou jumped off of him and ran back to Aiichirou, Nagisa, and Rei who were now in the water and playfully splashing water at each other. Well, Nagisa was splashing water at Aiichirou and Rei who were both trying to make him stop by attacking back.

Sousuke sighed again and turned himself on his back. He was just laying there under the sun until someone appeared to block it from him. He looked up and saw his best friend looking down at him.

" What are you doing, Sousuke ?" Rin asked sounding amused and Sousuke sighed again as he raised his upper body on his elbows.

" Mikoshiba jumped on me out of nowhere, caught me off guard. " he said and Rin chuckled and reached out his hand for the guy who smiled and let himself pull up on his feet without a hesitation.

" It seems the training hasn't started yet." Sousuke said brushing off the sand on his swimming trunks.

" Yeah, it's our first day here so we thought we'd take it easy. Just take time to get the feel of the sea and all that ..." he said and Sousuke couldn't help but smirk.

" Aren't those guys taking it a bit too easy ?" he asked nodding towards the volley ball court where Haruka and Makoto were playing at. Rin was just about to say something when Gou appeared at his side.

" Here is your ice cream, onii-chan" she said brightly giving a popsicle to her brother who thanked her with a smile.

" Good morning, Sousuke-kun !" she said and took a lick out of her own ice cream. The boy smiled and greeted her back. He then raised his eyebrow at Rin who was happily eating his own strawberry flavored treat.

" I thought you didn't like sweet things." he said casually and Rin suddenly blushed and looked away.

" Shut up, it's hot out here so it can't be helped." he said and Sousuke and Gou both laughed. Rin let out a sigh, pressed the ice cream into his best friend's hand and stomped away without saying a word. Sousuke and Gou exchanged looks.

" Oops ..." Gou said softly and Sousuke offered her a smile before passing the already melting ice cream to Gou and rushing after Rin.

" Hey ... what was that all about ?" he asked as he caught up with the red head and was now walking next to him.

" It's time we start with our training. You go and tell the four idiots in the water, I'll go fetch Haru and Makoto." he said without looking at Sousuke and turned towards  
the volley ball court.

" Hang on for a second." Sousuke said placing his hand on Rin's shoulder and stopping him from walking away.

" Why are you upset ?" he asked and Rin was quiet for a while.

" I'm not upset." he said still refusing to watch at his friend. Sousuke was quiet but didn't let go of him and he sighed.

" I just realized how ridiculous I was being that's all." he said and the taller boy frowned.

" Ridiculous ? What do you mean ?" he asked and Rin now looked over his shoulder.

" Remember when Rei cooked me those awfully sweet cookies ?" he asked and Sousuke's frown deepened in confusion.

" Yeah ... what about them ?" he asked and Rin hesitated for a second before fully turning to face his friend.

" Don't laugh but ... I've been ... kind of training myself to get better at eating sweets." he said and Sousuke just blinked at him for a while and then let out an amused chuckle.

" You what ?!" he asked.

" Hey I said no laughing !" Rin said kicking Sousuke's calf playfully. Sousuke smirked.

" Sorry, sorry ... but why would you do something like that ?" he asked and Rin sighed.

" Well ... you know I like him a lot, right ?" he asked and Sousuke smiled.

" It's kind of obvious, yes." he said and Rin's eyes grew comically big and his body tensed up. Sousuke squeezed his shoulder assuringly.

" Relax. I'm sure I'm the only one who can see it. Well ... me and Gou. Ryuugazaki himself is clearly oblivious." he said but for his surprise Rin's body tensed even more and after a moment Sousuke let out a sigh.

" Okay, spill. What did you do ?" he asked and Rin blushed again and looked away.

" Nothing." he said softly and there was a long silence during which Sousuke let go of him.

" Why are you trying to get better at eating sweets ?" he asked, changing the subject back to the original one.

" Well ..." Rin said as he rubbed the back of his head and looked down on the ground.

" When Rei found out that I had let most of the cookies get bad and threw them out, he looked really sad. Offended even ... I felt like a piece of shit after seeing that face he made. So I thought that if anything was ever going to happen between us then ..." he trailed off and

" You would make amends by not refusing anything sweet he decides to cook." Sousuke finished his sentence for a while and Rin chuckled nervously and then looked at his best friend.

" Yeah ... see ... it's stupid. Even though you and Gou weren't laughing at that, I still felt like I was an idiot doing something like this." he said and Sousuke suddenly smiled at him again.

" I don't think it's stupid, Rin." he said.

" Eh ?" the red head asked. Sousuke took a side step forward and now threw his arm around Rin's shoulder, pulling him closer to himself.  
" Keep on doing what you were doing, I'm sure Ryuugazaki will be pleased." he whispered in Rin's ear. The two of them laughed together until they heard a loud sound of someone clearing their throat nearby. The two of them looked up to see the subject of their conversation standing in front of them his arms crossed on his chest.

" Rei !" Rin said in shock and the boy raised one hand to adjust his glasses on his nose. Rin didn't know if it was his imagination or was the bluenett colder than he ever had been before.

" I just came by to inform you two that we decided to start with the training. So if you have some time, join us." he said and without letting either of the boys say anything he turned around and walked towards his teammates and Momotarou and Aiichirou who were now all doing their warming up excercises.

Rin and Sousuke stood there like frozen statues for a second and then Rin swallowed hard.

"How much do you think he heard ?" he asked and Sousuke was quiet for a while.

" I have no idea." he said and Rin swore under his breath before pushing himself away from Sousuke and running towards the others. Sousuke let out a soft sigh and ran after him .

" Ah ... I'm beat." Nagisa said panting slightly as he and everyone else were finally walking back to the dry land. There were agreeing mumbles from Rei and Momotarou. They had trained for three whole hours with small breaks in between.

" I could go for an hour more !" Aiichirou announced and Rin chuckled and messed up his hair with his hand affectionately.

" I love your enthusiasm, Ai. But it wouldn't do any of us good to go out for maximum on the first day. We need to take it easy. We have a whole week here !" he said and he didn't notice how Rei was staring at the two of them.

" Good job, everyone !" Gou said happily as she met up with the boys but her smile slipped away when he saw that they were one boy short.

" Huh ? Where is Sousuke-kun ?" she asked and that question made everyone turn their heads backwards.

" That's weird. I could have sworn he was right behind us." Nagisa said softly.

" Haru, you don't think ... ?" Makoto started to ask but his best friend answered him before he could finish his question by running back into the water and diving in quickly. Without knowing exactly what was going on, Rin found himself doing the same. After a moment the two of them resurfaced holding their unconscious friend between them.

" Oh my god, Sousuke-kun !" Gou gasped as soon as her brother and Haruka dragged the taller boy onto the beach and gently laid him down on his back. The younger of Matsuoka siblings ran to them with Nagisa, Aiichirou, Rei, Makoto and Momotarou behind her.

Sousuke wasn't breathing. Rin wanted to give him mouth to mouth but Haruka was faster than him and was already doing it.

" Come on, Sousuke ... come on ..." Rin demanded, almost sounding angry when the boy didn't gain the conscious as fast as he would have liked.

" His shoulder ..." Rei suddenly gasped out.

" Huh ?!" Rin asked and then his eyes grew wide as he saw how dark red Sousuke's shoulder was.

" Holy crap !" Momotarou gasped out and Rin sighed.

" It's okay, he must have hit it on a rock or something." he said.

And just when Makoto was about to open his mouth and tell everyone the truth, Sousuke started to cough up water winning everyone's attention. As he slowly sat up after he was done he blinked his eyes and looked around slowly.

" Wha ... What's going on ?" he asked and Rin now couldn't help but explode.

" You tell us ! Why the hell did you almost drown right now ?! You're a fantastic swimmer and the sea isn't even restless ! What the hell happened ?!" he asked and Sousuke was quiet for a while.

" Well ?!" he asked and now his best friend's eyes locked with Haruka's before he looked at Makoto who gave him an assuring smile as a response. He sighed, closed his eyes and let out a small cough.

" Sorry guys ... but could you please leave Rin and me alone for a bit ?" he asked and Nagisa was the one who protested first.

" What ? Why ? We want to know what happened too, Sou-chan !" he whined and Sousuke's eyes flew open immediately.

" Sou-chan ?" he asked and Nagisa nodded happily.

" It's my nickname for you. You are now one of us so I thought it would be sad to leave you without one." he said and Sousuke's lips fell apart in surprise before forming a geniune smile even though a little voice whispered in his head.

___One of you, eh ? What a joke ... After you've heard my story you won't be able to say anything like that again_.

" Hazuki, was it ?" he asked and Nagisa frowned slightly.

" Oh come on now, I just said you're one of us. You can at least call me Nagisa." he said and Rin noticed how Sousuke's hands started to slowly curl into balls.

___Stop it, stop trying to be my friend. I can't stand it, just stop !_ The same voice that he recognized his own whispered in his head again.

" Hazuki." he repeated stubbornly causing Nagise puff up his cheeks as he pouted.

" You won't be kept in the dark. Nanase and Tachibana will fill you all in. I just ..." he paused to swallow down the glomp that had formed in his throat.

"I just really need to talk to Rin alone." he finished his sentence and glanced at the red head who stared back at him.

"But what about your injury, Sousuke-kun ? Shouldn't you go to see a doctor ?" Gou asked but Sousuke didn't say anything. Gou was about to say something else but Makoto interrupted her.

" Come on everyone. Let's give the two of them a little privacy." he said already guiding still worried and protesting Gou away with the others. Rin watched them go and when he thought they were far enough he began the conversation.

" So ? What is it that Makoto and Haru know about and I don't ? " he asked and Sousuke sighed before starting with his story. He finished telling the whole thing about the same time Makoto finished explaining his situation to everyone else. While Rei, Aiichirou, Gou, Nagisa and Momotarou were shocked to silence and it seemed they just started to breathe again when they heard Rin's voice.

" WHY? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER ?!" he yelled, his voice filled with sorrow and Sousuke was quiet for a while and looked down at the red head who was grabbing onto his bare arms hard enough to leave bruises.

" Because I knew that you would cry." Sousuke replied loud enough for the others who were standing about 50 meters away from them to hear. Rin looked at Sousuke, tears streaming down his face and he sniffed his nose.

" I... Idiot ... I'm not crying." he said and Sousuke just smiled sadly. The two of them just stood there for a while. And when Rin had calmed down enough they walked to their companions who all were sending worried looks on the taller boy. Sousuke sighed.

" I'm sorry everyone. For causing you trouble ... " he said and was shocked by Gou who suddenly stomped to him and reached out to slap him.

" How could you ?" she asked angrily. Sousuke remained in the position, his head turned on the side.

" How could you hide such an injury from us ?! How could you risk your life like this ? How ?" she asked and then bursted out crying.

" You ... you could have died today. I ... I have never been so scared. Why didn't you tell us anything, why ?" she asked burrying her face into her hands and Sousuke suddenly moved and pulled her into a hug.

" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Gou." he said and after a moment Gou wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back.

" What are you going to do now, Yamazaki-san ?" Rei asked softly after a long moment of silence during which Gou finally released Sousuke who was now looking at the bluenett.

" Well I'm not sure to be honest. When I came to Samezuka I had two goals. To beat Nanase Haruka swimming freestyle in the nationals." he said and the dark haired Iwatobi swimmer looked at him.

" That's why I decided to pay a little bit less attention to butterfly right now." he said and there was a silence.

" And what was the second one ?" Nagisa asked, Sousuke smiled sadly.

" I really wanted to swim at the rely with Rin." he said and looked at the red head and then at Momotarou and Aiichirou.

" I really wanted to swim with all three of you. But ... it looks that it's not going to happen." he said and his hand moved to his shoulder on it's own accord.

" I'm sorry, Nitori, Mikoshiba ... Rin ..." he said.

" Tch, idiot." was the response he got from the latter.

" I'm sorry but I agree with Matsuoka-senpai." Aiichirou said when Sousuke looked at him again and Momotarou nodded.

" That's right, Yamazaki-senpai ! We wanted to swim with you as well and we are sad that you can't compete anymore but ... if you had died today we would have been even sadder !" he said and Sousuke blinked his eyes and then smiled sadly again.

" You're right. I am apologizing for the wrong thing. I'm sorry everyone ... for making you worry." he corrected himself and there was a silence again. Until someone's stomach growl was heard and another one shortly after that. The atmosphere suddenly lightened and everyone burst out laughing.

" Shall we go hit the showers and then go eat something ?" Makoto asked and Gou smiled at him.

" Yeah, you guys go and get yourself ready. I'm going to take care of the restaurant reservations." she said.

" Eh ? We are not eating at the hotel ?" Aiichirou asked and Gou smiled as she walked next to him.

"We don't have to ! We have enough money to pay for the rooms and eat out for a few days that we're here. I think today should be one of those days." she said and Aiichirou smiled back at her. Nagisa was walking with Momotarou and they were apparently discussing what kind of deserts they would like to eat.

" First Rei and now you ... the sea really seems to hate us." said Makoto who was walking with Sousuke and Haru behind the two most energetic boys they had ever met. Sousuke turned his head towards Makoto.

" What's that about Ryuugazaki ?" he asked in surprise and Haruka was the one to answer.

" Rei also almost died the last time we were training at the sea." he said and Sousuke was oddly curious so he asked from the two of them to tell him more.

Rei was walking after the others until he noticed that Rin was not following them.

" What's wrong, Rin-san ? Aren't you coming ?" he asked sounding worried and Rin who was looking at the sea now turned his head to the side to look at him.

" I will ... in a minute." he said and when he noticed that the bluenett remained standing tere he smiled reassuringly.

" I'm fine. I just need to be alone for a bit." he said and turned his head to look at the sea again. Rei just stared at him for a while and then turned around.

" Well, we'll be waiting for you in front of the hotel then." he said and Rin raised his hand in response. Slowly walking away Rei glanced at him for the last time over his shoulder before speeding up and catching up with the others.

Rei sighed as he stood in front of his hotel room. Even though Rin had promised to meet up with the others and join them at dinner, he never showed. The bluenette wanted to go search for him but the others told him to leave him be. Even Gou thought that his brother should be left alone for a while.

" He'll come back to us once he feels like it." she said with confidence and Rei finally gave up. He was still a bit worried though and he silently prayed for the red head's safety before unlocking the door and stepping in. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw the boy laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling.

" Thank god. You really are here." he said softly and Rin let out a snort.

" Where else would I be ?" he asked but Rei didn't reply. Instead he walked to stand at the named bed and looked down at his fellow butterfly swimmer and placed a paper bag that he had been holding onto on his chest.

" What's this ?" Rin asked and Rei smiled a little.

" You didn't come to the restaurant so I thought you were probably starving. I took the liberty to let them pack you up a bento." he said and Rei sighed.

" Thanks, but you shouldn't have. I'm not as hungry as you think." he said peeking into the bag. Rei shrugged and walked towards his own bed while pulling off his shirt.

" Well at least eat that melonpan then. Yamazaki-san said you were strangely into sweets lately." he said and Rin's whole body tensed.

___That bastard. I might just have to finish the job the sea wasn't able to finish. What the hell was he thinking telling Rei about something like that?!_He thought to himself and pulled out one of the smaller carton out of the bag and opened it. He took a bite out of the Japanese desert and smiled.

" It's actually pretty good." he said out loud and Rei turned around with the brightest smiles he had seen on his face.

" I'm glad to hear that." he said and Rin swallowed hard as he thoroughly inspected Rei's bared upper body with his eyes.

___Perfection. Pure perfection._ He thought to himself and just kept staring at the boy without even noticing that he was being talked to.

" RIN-SAN !" Rei said now more forcefully and the red head raised his eyes to meet with the bluenette's.

" What ?" he asked and Rei sighed.

"Never mind, I can ask someone else." he said and Rin now frowned.

" Ask what ?" he asked.

" Not important !" the bluenette said sounding annoyed and turning his back to his roommate. He was about to walk into the bathroom to brush his teeth when Rin stopped him.

" Hey ... come here." he said after he had placed the now half-eaten melonpan back into it's carton and placed it onto the bedside. Rei just stared at him over his shoulder for a while.

" What for ?" he asked and Rin sighed.

" Just come." he said and Rei after a moment of hesitation walked back towards Rin's bed.

" Turn around." the red head demanded and Rei frowned in confusion.

" What ? Why ?" he asked.

" Just do it !" Rin snapped and Rei's eyes grew wide for a second before narrowing.

" I'm sorry, Rin-san but I have no intentions of letting myself be ordered around like this." he said pushing his glasses up on his nose. Rin just stared at him and he stared back for a while.

" Now if you excuse me I ..." he wanted to add but was rudely interrupted by the loud annoyed growl and the hands on his hips that forcefully span him around. It happened so fast that Rei didn't have the time to register when exactly Rin had stood up to do so. He didn't even have the time to fight back when Rin sat back down, pulling him down with himself. All he knew was that they were both sitting on Rin's bed now, well not both of them, he was forced to sit on Rin's lap. As Rei finally understood what had happened, he got nervous.

" What the ... Let me go !" Rei said as he started to struggle to free him. Rin's response was to hold him tighter and lean his back against his. And when Rei felt something hard pressing against his buttocks he suddenly stilled and let out a shaky breath.

" R... Rin-san ..." he started to say but the red head interrupted him again.

" Just let me hold you like this. Please ..." was pleaded from him and he realized how close the two of them were at the moment as he felt his friend's lips brushing against the back of his neck. He couldn't help but blush.

" But ... But you are ..." he trailed off and Rin now sighed.

" Ignore it. I'll deal with it by myself later. Please ... Just ... let me hold you." he pleaded once again and his response was silence. Rin took it as an agreement and squeezed Rei even harder than before and placed a soft kiss on Rei's shoulder and the latter let out a soft gasp.

" Wh... Why are you doing this ?" he then asked and Rin licked the side of his neck up to his ear.

" Because it's Tuesday." he whispered before taking the sensitive nibble between his lips and sucking on it. Rei shuddered.

" And because that's how Makoto's always doing it in my Tuesday's fantazies. He's always slow ... he is always careful to feel every part of my body." he said sliding one of his hands upwards to gently run it over Rei's nipple before placing it under his jaw and turning his head to the side.

" But he's also always very sensual." he whispered and ran a wet path down from Rei's jaw to his shoulder with his tongue. Rei shivered and he cursed himself in his head as he started to feel aroused.

" That's not what I meant." he said softly.  
" I want to know why you keep torturing me like this." he added with more confidence and Rin who was sucking on his collarbone suddenly froze and pulled away a little.

" Torturing ?" he asked and then chuckled.

" Torturing ?! I am just trying to get to know you !" he asked and Rei got angry.

" Stop calling it that ! This is a sexual harassment ! You are harassing me !" he yelled and now Rin suddenly let go of his waist and leaned backwards against the wall a little, creating a cap between them. Rei tried to pretend that he didn't miss the nice warmth that Rin's body had provided him with.

" Get off." he said softly.

" What ?" Rei found himself asking but he wasn't sure why didn't he just do what he was told. He should have been happy ... correction ... he was happy that he was asked to stand up. But for his own surprise his body refused to move.

" I said get off me !" Rin snarled and suddenly pushed on the other boy's shoulder forcefully, making Rei to fall down on the floor on his knees. Rin stood up and walked past him and then stopped in front of the bathroom door.

" All I wanted was to get a little comfort after all this shit that happened today. Sorry ... I didn't realize it was so damn selfish of me." he said and with that he walked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind himself. Rei jumped a little at the loud sound and then he lowered his head and just tried to figure out what just had happened again.

" What ? What the hell is wrong with me ?" he asked himself.


	3. Chapter 3

" He really said that ?" Makoto asked as he Haruka and Rin were running side by side at the beach next morning and Haruka nodded.

" Yeah ... He said there was nothing for him to do here anymore since he is going to quit swimming. So he intends to take the next bus back to the city." he said and Makoto glanced at Rin who was acting as if it had nothing to do with him.

" Well ... we can't just let him go like that, can we ?" he asked, still observing Rin from the corner of his eye and the red head finally reacted.

" Why not ? If that's his decision then we can't force him to stay." he said refusing to meet the eyes of his friends and Haruka and Makoto shared looks.

" Won't you feel bad about it?" Makoto asked carefully and Rin was quiet for a long time before he answered.

" I would feel worse if I made him stay for my sake." he said and with that he sped up gaining a little distance between him and his friends. Makoto and Haruka ran in silence for a while and then Makoto was about to ask something but his best friend interrupted him.

" He took the words out of my mouth. " he said and also sped up, following the red head. Makoto just sighed and after a moment followed his two stubborn friends.

" Are you okay, Rei-chan ?" asked Nagisa who was jogging with his best friend after the three older boys. He sounded worried and Rei glanced at him.

" Uh ?" he asked

" Yes, of course. Why do you ask?" he asked and Nagisa was quiet for a while.

" Oh, for no reason. It just seems that you are bothered by something." he said and Rei also remained silent for a while.

" I'm ..." he hesiated and then sighed.

" I'm a little worried about Yamazaki-san, that's all." he lied and he could feel from the way Nagisa was staring at him that the other boy didn't really believe him.

" Eeh ... is that so ?" the blond finally asked as he looked forward again as they ran.

" Yeah ..." Rei said and when Nagisa suddenly stopped running he also stopped.

" Nagisa-kun ?" he asked.

" It seems I really can't keep up with you after all, Rei-chan. I'm tired." he said panting slightly as he was bending over and placing his hands on his knees.

" You go ahead and catch up with the others, I'll be right behind you with Ai-chan and Momo-chan." he said and Rei looked at him in surprise.

" Are you sure ?" he asked and Nagisa raised his head to give him a bright smile as an answer.

" Yeah! You just go ahead, Rei-chan !" he said, sensing something weird in Nagisa's cheerful voice the bluenett hesitated for a second.

" Okay then ... I'll see you later." he said eventually and when Nagisa smiled again and nodded his agreement he turned and ran away. As soon as he was in a safe distance Nagisa sat on a rock nearby and sighed. When he saw Aiichirou and Momotarou he immediately jumped off the rock and flew into the arms of his fellow breast stroke swimmer.

" Something is definitely wrong with Rei-chan, Ai-chan !" he said in a miserable voice. And Aiichirou just stood there in a shock, a small blush tainting his cheeks.

" I... I've told you thousands of times not to call me that." he mumbled softly as his hands wrapped themselves around the blond's waist in a hug.

Momotarou couldn't help but smile at the sight. He loved the way the two of them had no hesitation of showing their affection in public. Well ... Aiichirou was more reserved and relucant at first but it was obvious that he had now gotten used to it. The smile on Sea's otter fell away when what Nagisa had said registered in his mind.

" What do you mean something's wrong with Rei? You don't think he's ill, do you ?" he asked and Nagisa now let go of Aiichirou and looked at the red head.

" No, I don't think so. But he is definitely upset about something." Nagisa said and Aiichirou sighed.

" Aren't we all ? I mean it was a huge shock yesterday ..." he said and Momotarou nodded at the same time Nagisa shook his head in denial.

" No, no ! He said the same, that he's worried about Sou-chan, but I could tell that he just used that as a cover to hide the real reason from me." he said and Aiichirou and Momotarou exchanged looks.

" Real reason ?" they then asked together and Nagisa was quiet for a while.

" I think it might be something to do with Rin-chan." he said softly and Aiichirou and Momotarou were also quiet for a while.

" You think Rin-senpai finally told him about his feelings ?" Momotarou asked and Nagisa shrugged.

" I don't know, maybe ?" he said and Aiichirou suddenly gasped and raised his hand on his mouth.

" What ?" Nagisa and Momotarou asked together this time.

" I just remembered something from before we came here to run. I saw the two of them talking ... well ... Ryuugazaki-kun was trying to talk to Matsuoka-senpai but it looked like Matsuoka-senpai refused to listen and walked away." he said and Nagisa and Momotarou exchanged looks.

" Well ... what did Rei-chan try to talk about ?" Nagisa asked and Aiichirou shook his head.

" I don't know. I was too far away to hear anything." he said and the three of them were silent when Nagisa suddenly frowned and leaned in closer to the silver haired boy.

" Well why didn't you get closer to them then ?!" he asked and Aiichirou also frowned.

" Because that would have been rude." he said and the frown on Nagisa's face deepened.

" They wouldn't have noticed you !" he insisted and Aiichirou gritted his teeth.

" That's a groundless statement! Besides even if I didn't get caught, I would have still felt bad for spying on them! " he shouted and Nagisa sighed.

" You need to take risks sometimes, Ai-chan ! How can we help them fix this if we don't even know what's going on ?!" he said and Aiichirou was just about to say something when suddenly a voice that didn't belong to any of the three interrupted them.

" Who said they need any help anyway?" was the question Sousuke asked and Momotarou squeeked when he realized that the boy was standing right behind him.

" Ya-Yamazaki-senpai ! Don't sneak up from behind like that, you scared me to half death !" he said and the taller boy flashed him a geniune smile.

" Sorry, sorry, but you can think of it as a little payback for yesterday." he said placing his hand on the top of the Sea Otter's head and messing up his already messy hair even more making the boy blush and look away with a small pout on his lips.

" How is your shoulder doing, Yamazaki-senpai ?" Aiichirou asked now walking away from Nagisa, forgetting all about their argument and the two other boys both also looked at him curiously.

" It's okay." he said.

" By the way, aren't you three supposed to be running right now?" he quickly changed the subject without letting any of them ask more questions from him.

" We are just taking a little break, Sou-chan !" Nagisa said and and Sousuke just stared at him.

" Could you please stop calling me that, Hazuki ?" he asked and Nagisa grinned.

" Only if you call me Nagisa from now on !" he stated raising his finger and Sousuke blinked at him and then sighed.

" Never mind then, Hazuki." he said causing Nagisa to pout again.

" So mean ..." he mumbled while looking away.

" Hey ! Rin-senpai and the others are running this way !" Momotarou suddenly said and everyone looked at the four boys who were moving closer to them together.

" What's going on here ?" Rin asked as he slowed down and was now walking towards his teammates and Nagisa.

" Why aren't you three running ?" he asked and before the others were able to answer Sousuke did it for them.

" They are just taking a break, Rin." he said and the redhead just stared at him.

" I heard you were planning to leave." he said as Makoto, Haruka and Rei also now arrived to meet up with them.

" Eh ?!" Nagisa, Momotarou and Aiichirou asked while looking at the taller boy and Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck.

" Well yeah ... there isn't much left for me to do here." he said and silence fell between the boys. Sousuke felt intense eyes on him and as he looked past Rin he found out that they belonged to Nanase Haruka who looked away after they had stared at each other for a while.

" Oh, great you are all here !" said Gou sounding breathless and everyone turned to watch at her as she approached from behind them.

" What's wrong Gou-chan?" Nagisa asked and the girl took a deep breath and looked at them. Nagisa was a bit surprised that the red head didn't scold him and ask him to call her Kou instead.

" Remember that coach Goro was supposed to come here today to give you some instructions?" she asked and the boys nodded.

" Yeah, speaking of which ... he's late." Rei said looking at his watch

" He said he'll be here at nine, it's already ten." he added and Gou nodded.

" I wonder what's keeping him..." Makoto said sounding worried.

" I just got a call from Amakata-sensei. Coach was in a car accident. Some idiot forced him off the road when he was on his way here and he crashed on a tree." she said and there were various surprised gasps around her.

" Is ... is he alright ?" Makoto asked and Gou nodded.

" He's alive but he broke several bones and he has a mild concussion. Doctors are keeping him in the hospital for at least a week, maybe even longer." she said and Makoto sighed in relief.

" Well that sucks." Momotarou suddenly said and everyone looked at him in shock and disapproval. He jumped a little at the hostile response and raised his hands in defence.

" Not that he's alive but the fact that he isn't coming here." he said and looked down with a pout on his lips.

" I was looking forward to have a professional coach giving me tips." he said and there was a short silence.

" Yeah, I wanted someone outside our group to give me advice too." Rin admitted and everyone looked at him.

" I mean not that I particulary need it but I was just interested in what he had to say ..." he said and there was a silence again.

" Well ... we can manage without him. We always have !" Nagisa said as he stretched his arms over his head.

" That's true. But it would still be nice to have someone watch over us." Makoto said.

" But we do have someone like that." Haruka said suddenly.

" Yeah, I could call my onii-chan and ..." Momotarou said excitedly but Haruka cut him off.

" I didn't mean your brother." he said his eyes clued on Sousuke. A minute ticked by and then the injured swimmer paled a little when everyone turned to look at him with grins on their faces.

" Oy oy ..." he started to say but Rin cut him off.

" Nice thinking, Haru." he said.

" I see ... It makes perfect sense" Rei added pushing his glasses up on his nose.

" No it doesn't." Sousuke said but noone heard him.

" Please help us, Sou-chan !" Nagisa said.

" I always wanted you to train me, Yamazaki-senpai !" Momotarou added and Sousuke grimaced.

_Shit ... this is bad. How the hell am I going to get myself out of this ? _ He thought to himself and glared at Haruka who gave him a small smile, he frowned in return.

_What the hell are you palying at, Nanase ? What the hell are you trying to do ? _ He asked in his mind without voicing those questions. Even though the others hadn't moved closer to him, he still felt as if they were crowding him and he took a step backwards in an attempt to escape from them.

" Sorry, but I'm not really cut out to be training anyone ..." he tried to sound convincing but Aiichirou now did step forward and he looked like he was ready to punch him for saying something ridiculous. The physical blow never came though, even though Sousuke thought he would have prefiered it over the words that came from his schoolmate's lips.

" What are you talking about, Yamazaki-senpai ?! You are an excellent coach ! You helped me to become the swimmer I am today, I couldn't have done it without you !" he said and Sousuke looked at him in surprise.

" Nitori ..." he said softly and then looked away.

" You give me too much credit, I only told you what I thought you could improve ..." he said and Makoto smiled.

" Isn't that what coaching is all about ?" he asked and Sousuke looked at him and Makoto's smile grew.

" Well ..." he paused and Gou took the moment to win everyone's attention.

" It's settled then ! Sousuke-kun will stay with us and serve us as a coach from now on !" she said cheerfully and Sousuke's mouth fell open. He then sighed and closed his eyes in defeat.

" I really don't have a word in this, do I ?" he asked and everyone grinned again.

" Nope !" they said together and Sousuke also smiled before opening his eyes.

" Fine. But I'm going to put you all through hell, you better be ready for this." he said and Nagisa laughed.

" Haha ! You sound like coach Goro already !" he said happily and the others, including Sousuke himself, laughed with him.

When they had decided when they start with the swimming training they started to go back to the hotel to get ready. Sousuke was also going to follow them when Rin suddenly stopped him.

" Hey, Sousuke, can I talk to you for a sec ?" the red head asked and Sousuke looked at him.

" Sure." he said

" What's up ?" he asked after the red head had led him away from the others.

" I ... I have a favor to ask you." he said and Sousuke raised his eyebrow.

" Oh ?" he asked and Rin nodded.

Three hours later the first day as a coach had ended and Sousuke let out yet another defeated sigh as he knocked on the door in front of him. After he had let his presence known he had to wait for about two seconds before the door opened.

" Yo !" he said casually raising his hand and the bluenett blinked up at him.

" Ya ... Yamazaki-san?" he asked and his eyes fell on the suitcase on the taller boy's hand.

" What's going on ?" he asked and Yamazaki sighed again.

" Rin didn't tell you, did he ?" he asked and Rei now looked into his eyes again.

" Tell me what ?" he asked with an honest curiosity and Sousuke couldn't help but give him an apologetic smile.

" I'm your new roommate." he said and Rei's eyes grew wide now.

_My new roommate? Rin-san has moved out ? _He asked himself and glanced over his shoulder to where Rin's side of the room was. Indeed it seemed cleaner than it had been when the boy was actually living there.

_When did he ... ? _ Rei's rain of thought was interrupted when Sousuke let out a soft attention demanding cough and Rei's head span around to look at him again.

" If you have a problem with it I could try and get myself a new room here ..." the older boy said and cursed at Rin silently in his mind when Rei gave him a smile that didn't really reach his eyes.

" No, no ... of course I don't have a problem !" The Iwatobi's butterfly swimmer said quickly.

" Come on in." he added as he stepped aside to let the other boy in. Sousuke walked over the threadhold and stood in the middle of the room now. Apart from the colors of the walls and curtains, it wasn't any different from the room he was sharing with Nanase and that made it easier to adjust. His previous room was colored light blue while the room he was now staying in was light yellow. It wasn't the most fancy hotel he had ever stayed in but it wasn't the worst either. The room had only the most necessary things. No Tv, no radio and to be honest he didn't miss neither of those things.

" The bed you can use is over there." Rei pointed at the bed against the wall opposite from his own bed and Sousuke nodded.

" Thanks." he said and Rei now gave him more blinding, more sincere smile which melt his heart a little.

" You're welcome." he said. There was a short silence when Sousuke placed his suitcase on the bed he was going to spend his nights on and opened it.

" Rin-san must have moved out while I was having a shower. I didn't hear a thing." Rei said suddenly while rubbing the back of his head and he let out a nervous chuckle, which made Sousuke freeze in his movements.

_I ... I just can't stay in the same room with him anymore. I ... I can't control myself while being so close to him. No matter how much I try, I just can't. _Rin's voice echoed through his head and he sighed.

" Sorry about that." he said over his shoulder and Rei also froze.

" Eh ?" he asked in surprise and the other boy just stared at him for a while.

" Rin can be very selfish at times. So ... I'm sorry." he said and Rei suddenly blushed and looked away.

" It's okay, I don't mind." he said softly and then walked to the cupboard and opened it. 

" We tried to divide the space in here equally but if you have more stuff then he had then I can move my things around ..." he said and Sousuke shook his head.

" No need for that, I didn't bring that many things with me." he said and started to unpack in blissful silence while Rei laid down on his bed and picked up a book he had brought with himself to read.

In the light blue room on the left side of the light yellow room the tension was thick in the air which made Rin feel more than just a little bit uncomfortable.

" Come on now, Haru ... could you stop glaring at me like this ? I thought you would be happy to share a room with me instead of Sousuke." he said as he laid in his new bed and looked at the boy who was sitting on his own.

" I don't really mind having you here. But ..." he trailed off and Rin raised his eyebrow.

" But ?" he asked and Haruka was quiet for a while.

" Did you have a fight with Rei or something?" he asked and Rin turned to look at the ceiling above him and swallowed hard before he found himself able to answer .

" Or something ..." he said softly and Haruka frowned even deeper.

" I thought you two are friends now." he said and Rin turned his head on his side so he was showing his friend the back of his head instead of his face.

" Yeah, we are." he said _And that's the problem. _ He added in his mind before closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep. He was still feeling Haruka's eyes on him for a while and then heard a loud sigh.

" Whatever you are fighting about, you better make up fast. " the dark haired boy said before turning off the lamp on his bedside table and turned to fall asleep aswell.


	4. Chapter 4

The tables at hotel's café were only meant for five. When Rei walked in the room he noticed that Makoto, Haruka and Nagisa were sitting with Rin and Aiichirou but they had also pulled an extra chair that was empty. It was obviously meant for him since Gou was sitting at the other table with Momotarou and Sousuke. Although the bluenett was feeling grateful and happy that he had such considerate friends, he still picked up his tray and ignoring smiles from Nagisa and Makoto, he walked past them as if he didn't know them.

" You don't mind if I join you, do you ?" he asked now standing at the other table and the three occupants who had a livid conversation about something stopped and looked up at him in surprise.

" Rei-kun ?" Gou asked and the boy just stared at them.

" Well ... do you ?" he asked getting slightly impatient and Sousuke was the one to answer.

" No, but are you sure this is okay ? Your friends look upset, Ryuugazaki." he said looking at the others. Placing his tray on the table Rei just stood there for a second and glanced at the named four boys who were staring at him in shock while Rin had lowered his head and was apparently busy eating.

" It's fine." he said with a sigh and sat next to Momotarou who laughed happily and immediately threw his arm around his shoulders as if they were best friends. The rest of the Iwatobi team and Rin and Aiichirou sat in silence for a long time before Nagisa couldn't take it anymore.

" What did you do, Rin-chan ?" he asked softly making his friend's hand which was grabbing onto a tea cup abruptly stop in the middle of it's way to his lips.

" Excuse me ?" he asked looking at Nagisa who refused to look at him and stared at his plate, letting his hair shadow his face.

" Rei has been acting weird ever since we came here." he said and then shook his head slowly. " No. He has been acting weird ever since he has been sleeping in the same room as you." he said and Makoto and the others noticed how Rin's grip on his cup tightened.

" Has he ?" the red head sounding as nonchalant as he could manage. He wanted to let the others think that he didn't care but he couldn't really bring himself to relax his body and it betrayed him. He felt three pairs of eyes on him and he felt as if all of them were reading him like an open book. After all, Haruka, Makoto and Aiichirou were anything but stupid. But it was Nagisa who really surprised him the next time he opened his mouth.

" You are a good friend of mine, Rin-chan but Rei-chan is my best friend. He's like a brother to me." he said and finally also raised his head to glare at the red head.

" I swear to god, if you only keep on hurting him without trying to fix things, I won't forgive you. Rei-chan deserves so much more than this ! He deserves to be happy! He has to be happy, Rin-chan !" he said more seriously than he had ever been and Rin's mouth fell open as he looked around the table and saw that they all seemed to agree with him. He swallowed hard.

" Since when ?" he asked softly and lowered his head.

" Since when have you known ?" he asked and Makoto smiled.

" Ever since we saw your training session at Samezuka." he said and Rin's head snapped up and Makoto's smile grew when he saw the blush on his cheeks.

" What ?!" he asked.

" You ... you were spying on us ?!" he asked and Makoto chuckled a bit nervously.

" Well ... Rei really didn't give us a choice. He was acting suspicious so we had to follow him." he said and Rin suddenly frowned.

" Wait a second. I was only teaching him how to swim other styles. How did you figure out that I ... ?" he wanted to continue but Nagisa stopped him.

" Oh come on, Rin-chan ! It was written all over your face !" he said and Rin blushed even deeper and he lowered his head trying to hide it.

" Plus, we had Gou with us and she told us." Haruka said before placing a piece of mackerel into his mouth.

It was more than just a small surprise that they served something like that for breakfast, but he was happy.

" Momo-kun and I heard it from Yamazaki-senpai." Aiichirou said innocently. And Rin nodded in understanding.

" I see ..." he said and then his eyes grew wide as he realized something.

___Gou and Sousuke ... the two people I thought I could trust betrayed me and told my friends ? Rei ... Rei is with them right now!_ He thought and without thinking any further he jumped up from his seat and stomped towards the other table, his teeth gritted together and his hands clenched into tight fists. He stopped right in front of the bluenett panting slightly because his heart was beating faster than it ever had before.

" Come with me for a sec" he said sounding more demanding than he intended to sound, Rei however refused to look at him and sighed.

" I'm sorry, Rin-san but as you can see I'm in the middle of..." he wanted to continue but Rin didn't give him a chance to do that.

" Oh just shut up and come !" he snapped at him, grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him out of his seat causing him drop the chopsticks he was holding onto. Ignoring the younger boy's protests and struggling and without caring how much attention he draw to himself by doing so, Rin dragged Rei past rest of the café visitors and out of the door. There was a shocked silence in the café until Nagisa's laughter broke it.

" The plan was a success !" he said happily raising his hands over his head in a cheer.

" Are you sure we should leave them like that ? Rin-senpai looked rather angry." Aiichirou said sounding worried.

" Don't worry. That anger was towards me." Sousuke said.

" And probably me too, I don't think he'll forgive me that easily." Gou added as she walked towards her friends with Momotarou and Sousuke.

" Don't worry, Gou-chan ! I will protect you from your brother's rage !" Momotarou said jumping in front of her and looking excited. Gou ignored him and looked past him at the others.

" Are you guys ready to go and visit coach now ?" she asked and the boys nodded.

" Yeah, let's go." Haruka said as he stood up, the others did the same and the seven of them left the café as well.

" Get in." Rin said as he and Rei stopped in front of the elevator that had opened it's doors for them. For the bluenett's horror it was empty. He didn't want to get into the empty elevator with the red head alone but it seemed that he didn't have a choice. Once he stepped inside Rin quickly followed and as soon as the doors closed Rin pushed the button to their floor. They moved upwards in silence for a while until Rei finally sighed.

" Are you going to tell me what this is all about ?" he asked, the seconds ticked by but Rin didn't answer. Instead he suddenly pressed the button that made the elevator stop abruptly before they reached their destination and Rei gasped.

" Wha ... what are you doing ?" he asked and Rin just stared at him for a while.

" That's what I'm supposed to ask you." he said without looking at his companion.

" What are you doing moping around like a little girl who has lost her favorite doll ? Don't you understand you are making everyone around you worry about you ?" he asked and Rei couldn't believe what he was hearing.

" M-moping ?! I'm doing no such thing !" he said and Rin now glared at him.

" Yeah. You, are." he said and Rei frowned even deeper than he had been.

" I most definitely am not ! And I must say I really am offended by that comparison you just made. I'm not a girl !" he said and Rin now ran his fingers through his hair.

___Yeah, unfortunately you're not, everything would be so much easier if you were ..._ a voice whispered in his head. Or at least he thought he had only thought it instead of saying it out loud. The shock on Rei's face proved him wrong though.

" Wha ... what is that supposed to mean ?" the bluenett asked and Rin sighed.

" Nothing. Just forget it." he said and ran his fingers through his hair.

" Look ... I'm sorry I switched the rooms without telling you." he said and Rei blinked at him for couple of times.

" Rin-san ..." he said softly.

" But you have to understand that I did it for both of us." the red head continued. Rei lowered his head, finding the tips of his shoes rather interesting all of the sudden.

" I mean ... you can't deny that you are better off having Sousuke as a roommate. He's a decent guy ... he's ... he's not as bothersome as I am." Rin continued.

" You could even say that I'm the devil and he's the saint ..." he added and laughed at his own joke while Rei remained silent. After a short pause Rin cleared his throat and sighed.

"Anyway ... That's all I wanted to tell you so ..." he trailed off and reached out to push the button again to make the elevator resume it's way but he froze when his scarlet eyes suddenly met with angry purple ones.

" All you wanted to say?" Rei asked dangerously.

"Stop joking around, Rin-san ! We both know that you owe me an explanation." he said and Rin now also got angry as well.

" I thought I just gave you one." he said and he saw a hesitation in Rei's eyes. It was obvious that he was having a discussion with himself. Should he ask or not?

" You still haven't told me why you ..." the bluenett finally chose to try and ask but once again Rin interrupted him.

" Oh for God's sake. Figure it out on your own !" he growled out angrily and without a warning he pressed the button. The elevator shook a little and started to move two boys stood there in silence until they reached their destination. Before they parted their ways Rei wanted to say something but just like a day before, the red head ignored him and walked away. When Rin entered into his room he angrily punched the wall without caring if he damaged his hand by doing so or not.

" Damn it ! I think I just made things worse." he growled at himself and then looked at his own reflection from the window.

" Idiot." he said to himself and then with a loud sigh he threw himself onto his bed where he planned to lay until Haruka and the others came back from the hospital. They had agreed to start their training then.

Rei was standing in the middle of his own room and he felt lost. He couldn't really understand why Rin was acting the way he did. He couldn't find any logic explanation no matter how hard he tried. For two days Rin had shown huge interest in him, he had touched him and kissed him but now ... now he was acting as if he had changed his mind and didn't want to be with him after all.

" Was it because I accused him for harrassing me without thinking ?" he asked himself.

___Of course it was. You insulted him, hurt him with his words and you drove him away even though deep down you were actually enjoying yourself. No matter how much you choose to deny it, you were enjoying his attention, dummy._ A voice answered in his head and he let out a groan and covered his face with his hands.

" I'm the biggest fool on earth." he said softly. He was standing there deep in his own thoughts until he heard a door open and close behind him.

" What are you doing, Ryuugazaki ?" the voice of his new roommate asked and he now l let his hands fall away and span around to look at the taller guy with a smile on his face.

" Welcome back, Yamazaki-san ! How is coach Goro ?" he asked immediately without answering the other's question.

" He's doing good. Doctors say he might get out of there sooner than they predicted." Sousuke replied while sitting on his bed. Rei's smile grew.

" That's good to hear." he said and the older boy just looked at him in wonder for a while.

" And ? How did things go with Rin ?" he asked and the smile on the bluenett's face slowly disappeared.

" I ... I would prefer not to talk about it." he said softly and turned his back to Sousuke who let out a sigh.

" What did he do this time ?" he asked and Rei's head span around to look at him in surprise.

" This time ?" he asked and Sousuke now smiled a little apologetically.

" He didn't tell me the details, but I could tell that the idiot did something he now regrets." he said and Rei just blinked at him and then looked away.

" I'm sorry but I really prefer not to talk about it. " he repeated and Sousuke just stared at him for a while.

" Alright ..." he said.

" I ... I mean I don't really know you that well and it doesn't seem appropriate for me to bother you with my personal problems." Rei continued babbling as if he hadn't heard his roommate.

" I understand, you don't have to explain..." he said but once again Rei just kept on talking.

" I ... I mean after all Rin-san is your friend and it would be so awkward and embarrassing and ... and humiliating for me to..." he was cut off when Sousuke who had stood up without his noticing was now grabbing onto his shoulders.

" Calm down, Ryuugazaki. I'm not forcing you to tell me anything." he said softly and Rei just blinked up at him for a moment before letting out a sigh.

" Oh . Sorry ... I can't really stop talking when I'm nervous." he said and Sousuke couldn't help but smile.

" I noticed." he answered and Rei blushed.

" I ... I should go to the bathroom and get changed" he said starting to turn away but Sousuke stopped him.

" Don't bother. We are forced to use the pool today anyway so you can change in the hotel's dressing room. I bet the others are already there." he said and Rei turned to look at him again.

" Eh ? Pool ? Why?" he asked and Sousuke sighed before he pulled away the curtains that were hiding the view to the sea. Rei looked outside and gasped as he saw the huge waves and pouring rain outside.

" How long has it been like that?" he asked softly and Sousuke shrugged.

" About an hour or so ? The weather forecast said that it's going to get worse as during the day and the highlight should be at night. If we are lucky then it'll calm down by tomorrow." he said and Rei sighed.

" I see." he said and Sousuke nodded.

" Well ... let's get going." he said moving towards the door.

" Yamazaki-san ?" Rei asked and Sousuke looked over his shoulder.

" Yeah ?" he asked and frowned when he noticed that the other boy was blushing about something. "

Are ... have ... have you ever ... ?" he trailed off and Sousuke's frown deepened.

" Have I what?" he asked and Rei swallowed hard before he raised his eyes to look at the taller boy.

" Have you ever been in love ?" he asked and Sousuke's lips fell apart at the sudden question and his eyes reflected his shock.

" Why are you asking me this all of a sudden ?" he asked.

" Be ... Because I think I might ... I mean ... it's so illogical and stupid and I ... I really don't understand anything about him anymore. But still I think I'm ... I think I'm..." he trailed off again and Sousuke suddenly laughed making the bluenett blush even harder.

" It's not funny, Yamazaki-san !" he said sounding mad and Sousuke smirked.

" Let's just go, Ryuugazaki." he said shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants and without letting the bluenett say anything else he walked out of the room.

" Huh ?" Rei asked himself and then he grabbed his swimming suit that was laying on his bed and with a shout of 'wait !' he ran after his roommate.


	5. Chapter 5

" I can't believe you !" Nagisa scolded the red head who was sitting on a bench in front of him.

" We created such a perfect opportunity for you to make up with Rei-chan and now you tell us that you may have done things worse. That's not cool, Rin-chan !" he said and Rin groaned and lowered his head.

" I know that without you having to tell me, Nagisa." he said sounding miserable and Aiichirou who was neatly folding his clothes and placing them into the dressing room's locker sighed.

" Why didn't you just tell him how you feel?" he asked and Rin was quiet for a long time.

" Because I..." he paused trying to find an explanation for his actions and frowning slightly to himself when he didn't find a good one. " Because I didn't know how to say it." was a statement that finally came from his lips and for his surprise he realized that it had been true.

" Aah ... I see ..." Nagisa said as he now tapped his jaw with his finger.

" I see ... that really is a problem." he repeated and then fell silent pretending to be in a deep thought.

" I know !" he said then cheerfully snapping his fingers.

"How about ... I love you, Rei-chan. I need you Rei-chan. I can't live without you, Rei-chan. Won't you be mine forever, Rei-chan ?" he asked and Rin now glared at him.

" That's way too many 'chans' !" he snapped sounding irritated and then he sighed and looked away again.

" Besides ... even if I were to be honest and say something like that to him ... even if I was to confess to him with words like that ... there's no way he would believe me." he added and when Aiichirou was just about to ask him what made him think that, he was interrupted by someone who had arrived without their noticing.

" Indeed. Those words would carry no weight if you were to just blurt them out like an idiot that you are." a familiar voice said. Rin snapped his head around to see the bluenett and a smirking Sousuke standing at the door and he jumped up on his feet.

" R-Rei !" he said in shock and the younger boy just stared back at him for a while before he walked further into the room. He moved towards the lockers, trying his best to remain cold and uncaring to the eyes of the others as he walked past the red head as if he wasn't there. Inside his chest his heart was pounding faster and harder than it had ever before though.

" Did you ... did you hear ... ?" Rin started to ask but his ex-roommate cut him off.

" Everything?" he asked and then sighed.

" It was impossible not to. The door was half open after all ..." he said and Rin's eyes grew wide.

" Half open ?" he asked wondering silently why he hadn't noticed that. He then frowned and glared at Nagisa angrily. The blond raised his hands in a way of defense.

" Hey, don't look at me. Ai-chan was the one who walked in here last." he said and then looked at his boyfriend who felt as if all the blood in his body had freezed over and he shuddered.

" Isn't that right, Ai-chan?" the blond boy asked but received no answer.

" Ai ?" Rin asked after a long pause and the silver head boy sighed and then chuckled nervously rubbing the back of his head as he did so.

" Silly me! I must have forgotten to close it properly, I can be such a airhead sometimes." he said still chuckling and Rin just stared at him for a while before looking away.

" Tch. Sneaky little bastard." he said softly but everyone heard him.

" Come on, Rin ... isn't it better this way? Now your secret is ..." the boy who had been silent for all this time wanted to say but he was cut off by the red head.

" Shut the fuck up, Sousuke!" Rin snapped at him angrily and blue eyes met with burning scarlet ones.

" You are the last person who should be giving me a speech about secrets." he snarled fully turning himself face the taller boy, his hands clenched into tight fists.

" You and I will have to have a long conversation later about what it really means to be my best friend. You better be prepared for it." he said and Sousuke just blinked at him for a while, his eyes saddening by the second

. " Right ..." he said and then turned his back to the others.

" Nitori, Hazuki ... the others are already at the pool, right? Let's not keep them waiting any longer than we already have ..." he said starting to walk away but Rei's voice was the one to stop him.

" In that case, maybe we should have a conversation about how to be a normal human being, Rin-san." the bluenett said coldly.

" Ex... Excuse me ?!" Rin asked his voice going higher than he intended as he now span around again to look at the boy who had his back turned to him. There was a short pause and then Rei shut the locker he had opened earlier shut again and just remained staring at it for a long time.

" If you are looking someone to be mad at then you should look into the mirror. Maybe then you'll finally realize that Nagisa-kun, Aiichirou-kun and especially not Yamazaki-san are at fault here. You are!" he said as calmly as he could and lowered his head a little.

" You with your strange behavior and actions that are anything but beautiful ..." he paused and slowly turned to look at Rin who stood there opening his mouth to say something but then closing it again without voicing any words.

" You should be ashamed of yourself for being so unfair to the people who clearly only wanted to help you. Looking through my eyes they all have been better friends to you than you deserve to have right now." he said and Sousuke, Aiichirou and Nagisa all sweat dropped at that statement like they would if they were anime characters.

" Now, now, Rei-kun ... that's a little bit too ..." The silver haired boy wanted to continue but Rin now cut him off.

" No ..." he said as he lowered his head.

" He's right, Ai" he said and then raised his head again to look at the boy who was standing at the door, still ready to leave.

" I'm sorry. All of you ..." he said and suddenly he couldn't help the tears appear in his eyes, he lowered his head to try and hide them and sniffed his nose. Sousuke, Aiichirou and Nagisa exchanged looks as if they were silently discussing if they should forgive their short tempered friend or not.

" I ... I really am sorry." Rin repeated miserably and let out a soft 'oof' when Nagisa suddenly jumped on him and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace.

" It's alright, Rin-chan, we forgive you." he said loudly enough for everyone to hear and then lowered his voice.

" But only if you don't mess up this opportunity now." he whispered into the red head's ear and Rin wrapped his arms around Nagisa's waist to finally response to the hug.

" I'll do my best not to." he whispered back and Nagisa grinned and let go of Rin who now looked at Aiichirou and Sousuke again who smiled at him.

" Alright. Rin, Ryuugazaki ... you two are dismissed from today's training." Sousuke said and Rei's eyes widened.

" Wha ... What?! But... but Yamazaki-san ..." he wanted to protest but Sousuke interrupted him with a bright smile on his face.

" It's fine, Ryuugazaki. You two have a lot to talk about" he said and turned his back, ready to leave again. Rei wished he could argue with that but he couldn't.

" Just take your time to sort things out." Sousuke added and Rin grinned.

" Thank you, Sousuke !" he said and the taller boy raised his hand as an acknowledgement before walking away, Nagisa rushing after him. Aiichirou was the one to leave last and he mouthed 'good luck, Rin-senpai' before he made sure that he closed the door behind himself this time. Rin couldn't help but chuckle while Rei swallowed hard and tried to calm his nerves. The moment the reality sank in that he was alone with Rin in a small room where there was nowhere to hide again, his heart kept on speeding up the pace. He felt as if it was going to explode inside him if it kept on going like that any further. He was standing perfectly still, but his mind was racing. He was trying to find a solution, a way to make himself to calm down, feeling like a failure when he couldn't find one. He wondered if he was able to just run away from the situation when suddenly Rin sighed and broke the silence that had fallen on them.

" I really could use a cigarette right now." he said sitting back on the bench that he had sat on before and he froze when he realized that he had said that out loud. He prepared himself for a detailed lecture from the other boy but for his surprise it didn't come.

" You forgot the pack in my room, I took the liberty to throw it out." Rei said instead. Rin who had leaned his head backwards stared up at the ceiling for a while and then burst out laughing. Rei frowned in confusion at first but then he joined in. When the two of them calmed down Rin looked at him with a smile on his face.

" How about we go somewhere more private and I'll try to explain everything I need to explain?" he asked and Rei who finally felt a bit more relaxed than he had before also smiled.

" I would like that." he said.

While Rin and Rei moved towards Rei's hotel room, Sousuke was standing at the edge of the pool and stared into nothingness.___Have I ever been in love, eh?_ He thought to himself and wondered why he let that kind of simple question bother him as much as he did. Or rather ... he wondered why it bothered him so much that the answer to that question was just a simple 'no'.

Even though he could hardly call himself a virgin who didn't have any kind of connection to other people, he never had a connection which would make him think that he was in love. Pleasure, tension release, fun – those were the reasons he had never pushed a girl or a guy out of his bed. He had one unbreakable rule though, the people who made it in his bed were only the ones that felt the same way as he did. In that previous school of his he was the most popular guy and he got all those confessions that didn't mean squat to him. He always bluntly turned down everyone who wanted something more than just a one night stand with him. And he never felt like something was missing, he had everything he needed. He had friends close to him and he had one important friend far away. And what was even more important, he had swimming.

Now as he was forced to stop swimming because of his injury, it felt like a part of him had disappeared and that hurt him. Even though he tried his best not to show his pain to anyone, especially not Rin, it didn't mean that his heart wasn't broken. Maybe I have been in love after all ... just not with another person... he told himself. He was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't heard someone calling out his name nor did he notice that he wasn't there alone until someone had grabbed onto his hand that was holding a stopper and lift it. There was a loud sigh.

" Are you doing this on purpose, Yamazaki?" Haruka asked as he let go of the taller boy's hand and Sousuke frowned in confusion as he looked down at him.

" Doing what on purpose, Nanase?" he asked and Nanase's dark blue eyes glared at him.

" When you said you would time me, I thought you'd do it seriously." he said and Sousuke's frown deepened.

" I am." he said and Haruka's eyes hardened.

" Then how come the others have three times recorded today and I have none?" he asked and Sousuke was surprised by that question.

" Huh?" he asked and looked at the stopper which was still on even though Haruka had clearly not swimming anymore.

" Oh..." he said and his finger pressed the button. Haruka sighed again.

" A bit late for that, isn't it? If I knew you would play such childish tricks on me, I would have asked Gou to time me." Haruka said turning his back to Sousuke who got angry at the accusation.

" Tricks? I just forgot to press the button, that's all." he said coldly and Haruka turned his head to look at him.

" Three times in a row? You are a bad liar." he said and Sousuke now gritted his teeth.

" Just get your ass back in the pool, bastard! I'll give you your damn time !" he yelled winning attention of Nagisa who was busy timing Aiichirou and Momotarou who did the same for Makoto. Even Gou who was sitting nearby drawing the charts for the swimmer's improval raised her head and stared at Sousuke in a shock.

" Yamazaki-senpai ..." Momotarou said softly, also surprised at the sudden outburst. This was the first time he had the boy angry. Haruka just stood there, his back towards Sousuke again and then he started to walk in silence. But even though he was told to dive in the water again, he chose to grab his towel and move towards the exit instead. Sousuke watched him go without trying to make him come back.

" Haru-chan! Wait! " Nagisa shouted and he wanted to run after his friend but he couldn't neglect his boyfriend who was soon finishing his round. As soon as Aiichirou climbed out of the pool and Nagisa explained to him what had happened, the two of them ran after the Iwatobi's free style swimmer. Sousuke, who was now taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down jumped a little when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked down at Gou who was showing worry on her face as she looked up at him.

" Are you alright, Sousuke-kun?" she asked and Sousuke just stared at her before putting on a soft smile.

" I'm fine." he said and Gou tilted her head, let out a wondering hum and just observed him for a while. Sousuke couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under those searching eyes and he was just about to ask her to stop it when the girl let go of him and turned to watch at Momotarou and Makoto who were now talking to each other and sending occasional looks at their direction. Suddenly Sousuke's and Makoto's eyes met and the green eyes were unusually cold as they bore into the light blue ones.

" Well, we'll be off then too ! Yamazaki-senpai, Gou-san !" Momotarou suddenly said loudly and as cheerfully as always, energetically waving at the two. Gou just merely nodded while Sousuke and the Iwatobi's captain were still staring at each other. Deep down Yamazaki knew that he should be the one to break the eye contact first but his pride just didn't let him do that. It seemed to be the same with Makoto who silently promised him hell if they ever were alone in a room.

" Aren't you coming, Makoto-senpai !?" Momotarou suddenly asked as he stopped in the middle of his step and finally the other boy looked away and smiled at him.

" I'm right behind you, Momo." he said and with that the two of them walked away. Sousuke and Gou just stood there in silence for a while before Gou sighed.

" You really don't like Haru-kun, do you?" she asked and when Sousuke didn't say anything she glanced at him before staring into the same distance he did.

" He's not a bad person, Sousuke-kun." she added and Sousuke also sighed.

" I never said that he was." he said and Gou was quiet for a while.

" Then ... are you mad at him for being friends with Rin?" she asked and Sousuke was quiet for a while.

" If you think I'm jealous, then you're wrong." he said and Gou let out a wondering hum again. Sousuke raised his eyebrow and looked at him.

" What?" he asked curiously and Gou shook her head.

" Oh ... it's nothing. I was just surprised, I have never heard you yell at someone like that. I thought you might be a little jealous ..." she said and Sousuke was quiet for a while.

" It was my decision not to swim with Rin in a rely back then. It's also my fault that I can't do it now when I've changed my mind about that. I have no right to be jealous." he said and Gou was quiet for a while.

" Alright, if you say so." she then said.

" Sousuke-kun?" she asked and when the boy looked at her she looked straight into his eyes.

" It's a shame that you don't like Haru-kun, because he likes you a lot." she said and Sousuke's eyes grew wide at that and then he chuckled.

" What? What are you saying all of a sudden, Gou?" he asked and Gou was quiet for a while again and she turned to look away.

" When we realized that you were about to drown that day ... Haru-kun was the first one to run back to save you." she said and Sousuke felt his heart skip a beat in surprise but he didn't say anything.

" He was also the one who peformed mouth to mouth on you and brought you back to consciousness." she said and then looked at her friend.

" He saved your life, Sousuke-kun." she said and Sousuke just stared back at her for a while and then snorted and looked away again.

" So what? He would have probably done it for anyone." he said and there was a short silence between them again.

" Probably." Gou then agreed feeling a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to make Sousuke see Haruka in a different light.

" But it doesn't mean you shouldn't be grateful to him." she said and with that she walked away leaving Sousuke behind with his thoughts.

" So ... let me get this straight ..." Rei said slowly as he sat down on his bed after he had heard part of Rin's explanation about his behavior.

" You say you love me." he said and Rin nodded.

" I do." he said and Rei rubbed the back of his head.

" But you were afraid that I wouldn't accept you so you didn't say a thing." he said and Rin nodded again.

" Right." he said and Rei sighed and let his hand fall down on the bed.

" And then you decided to attack me because ... you thought that would make me like you?" he asked

" No!" he got for a quick answer and he couldn't help but frown.

" Well pray tell me why you did it then !" he said and Rin sighed and looked away.

" I did it to get to know you better." he said and Rei let out a frustrated yell at that and threw his arms over his head dramatically.

" There you go with the same excuse again and I still don't know what you mean by saying that!" he said grabbing onto his hair and then took a deep breath and straightened his back as he looked at Rin who was now blushing and avoided looking at him.

" Would you please just explain to me how was you manhandling me helping you to get to know me better?" Rei asked more calmly and there was a long silence before scarlet eyes met with purple ones. Rin sighed and sat down on Sousuke's bed that belonged to him couple of days ago.

" When we first arrived here I never intended to do anything about my feelings for you." he then said.

" I never intended to say or do anything because I thought you would just tell me that relationship between two guys was illogical and not beautiful and that you never thought of me more than a friend." he said and observing Rei's unchanging face he paused until the other couldn't take it anymore.

" Go on..." the bluenett urged him and Rin stood up and walked to the window, feeling as if it was easier to talk about it if he didn't have a direct eye contact with him.

" When I found out that I had to share the room with you ... I got scared. I was afraid that I couldn't keep myself under control and I was right to be scared because as it turned out ... I really couldn't." he said.

" Being so close to you just drove me mad ... it ... it awakened a beast in me that I didn't even know existed." he added and there was a short silence.

" Are you ... are you trying to tell me that you are suffering from schizophrenia?" he asked raising his eyebrow and Rin suddenly laughed.

" God, no. Even though a part of me I was unaware of took over me, I knew exactly what I was doing." he said and then turned his head to look his companion over his shoulder.

" The reason why I asked you those questions ... I wanted to know your preferences to find out if you were like me or not." he said and then looked out of the window again.

" The reason why I pulled you into my fantasies ... I ..." he trailed off.

" You what?" Rei asked after a moment softly and Rin sighed, pulled himself away from the window and surprised the bluenett by sitting next to him this time.

" The beast in me decided that even if you started to hate me, even if I didn't get the chance to get close to you ever again ... I wanted to know more about you." he repeated and when he saw that Rei was about to protest again he placed his finger on the other's lips and silenced him. He smiled a little when the other boy's cheeks tainted a light shade of red at that small contact.

„ The best way to know how you smell ..." Rin said and demonstratively leaned in closer and sniffed his nose, making Rei blush even harder.

" H...Hey ..." he mumbled behind the didget that still had not disappeared from his lips and tried to escape on instinct by leaning himself backwards a little. Rin who had closed his eyes opened them slowly.

" You have nothing to be embarrassed about, you smell very nice. Maybe even too nice for a guy ..." he said and Rei looked away but didn't say anything. He gasped when the red head suddenly grabbed his hands into his own and gently massaged them with his fingers.

" What are you doing?" the younger boy tilted his head a little in a wonder and Rei smiled again.

" Back then I was sure that if I didn't touch you like this ... I would have never known how soft your skin is." he said and the blush on the Iwatobi's butterfly swimmer that had started to slowly fade away, decided not to go anywhere after all.

" And if I didn't do this ..." Rin suddenly said and suddenly pulled Rei closer to him and pressed a brief kiss on the bluenett's lips.

" I wouldn't have found out how you taste like ..." he said and Rei blushed darker again. " And I would have regretted it for the rest of my life." the red head said and Rei froze as he heard a voice in his head.

___He didn't tell me the details, but I know he did something he now regrets._ The voice said over and over again and Rei lowered his head and sat in silence for a long time.

___Yamazaki-san. Did you say that even though you knew that in reality it was the opposite? Did you say those words so I wouldn't think too badly about Rin-san?_ He wondered in silence and then suddenly he jumped up on his feet, startling his companion who flinched a little. "You ..." Rei started to say and clenched his hands into tight fists.

" You ... You really are an idiot !" he finished his sentence angrily staring at the red head.

" Instead of being honest with me and tell me how you feel ... you ... you ..." he trailed off and Rin sighed as he also stood up.

" I told you I was afraid ..." he paused and shook his head. " No ... I was sure that you would reject me." he said and Rei's eyes grew angrier.

" How the hell could you have possibly been sure in that when even I don't know if I had rejected you or not ?!" he asked his voice raising to a scream at the last part of his sentence. And only when he saw Rin's mouth fall open in a shock he finally realized what he had just said and he stood there unable to move and wishing that he could just disappear. The silence that took over of them was long and intense and Rin was the first one to recover. " What did you ... um ..." he cleared his throat and took a step forward.

" What did you just say?" he asked and Rei looked away.

" N... Nothing. Just forget it." he said softly and Rin frowned in confusion as he kept on walking until the two of them stood toe to toe.

"Rei" he said softly and when the bluenett turned to look at him he saw that the red head also had a blush on his face.

" Rei ... could it be that you ...?" he paused and swallowed hard.

" That you like me?" he asked and Rei blinked at him for couple of times and then gave him a bright smile toi try and hide the nervous state he was really in.

" What are you talking about, Rin -san ? We are friends, aren't we ? Of course I li..." he wanted to continue but was cut off by Rin who without a warning wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in a long, a lot deeper kiss that they had shared before. Rei didn't fight to get free, in fact he actually started to slowly response to him and his arms even wrapped themselves around the red head's neck, pulling him even closer. Rin felt like he was in heaven and he never wanted this kiss to end but he had to pull away so the two of them could breathe.

" Rei ..." he said softly, affectionately caressing the other's dark red cheek with the back of his hand, feeling happy when the other boy leaned in to his touch.

" Since when? Since when have you ... ?" he asked and Rei shook his head.

" If I knew that, I would tell you." he said and then smiled softly.

" Since it's my first time of being in love, I really don't know." he said honestly and Rin blinked his eyes a couple of times.

" You ... You love me ?!" he asked and when Rei nodded a huge grin spread on the older boy's face and he leaned in for another kiss but the younger boy now held him back with his hand.

" I don't mind you being happy about this." Rei said as he adjusted his glasses. " But there is still something you need to explain." he said his eyes shining in determination and Rin's grin slipped away.

" What's that?" he asked and Rei just stared at him for a while.

" Why did you bring Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai into all this? Why did you pretended to be them from your fantasies?" he asked and Rin suddenly let go of him and took a step backwards before turning his back to him and lowered his head without saying a word.

" Rin-san ?!" Rei asked feeling irritated and Rin sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

" I wanted to see your reaction to them." and Rei's eyes grew wide.

" You what?" he asked and Rei straightened his back before turning to look at him again.

" Since you spend time with them every day ... you are so close to them all the time. I was ... I was afraid you might have deeper feelings for one of them. I was sure that you wouldn't have given me an honest answer even if I asked ... So ... I just wanted to see if ..." he trailed off and Rei just stared at him with a blank look on his face.

" Unbelievable ... you're even bigger idiot than I thought." he then said and Rin now frowned.

" Hey! You're the one who got hard while I pretended to be Haru ! Who's the bigger idiot here ?!" he asked angrily and Rei couldn't help but burst out laughing which made the red head even angrier.

" What the hell is so funny?" he asked and when Rei calmed down he smirked at him.

" Oh nothing ... Just the fact that it didn't occur to you that I got hard because I was more than just a little aware that it was you who was doing all those things and not anyone else." he said casually and Rin blinked his eyes.

„ Oh..." he said and then also laughed.

" Man ... I really am an idiot." he said and Rei laughed again.

" Yeah." he said and then suddenly moved closer to Rin and wrapped his arms around his neck again.

" But you know that saying, right? That the opposites attract each other..." he said and grinned.

" I think that explains why I've fallen for you." he said and Rin smirked as he also wrapped his arms around Rei's waist again.

" Are you trying to say that you're a genius or something?" he asked and Rei's grin widened.

" Or something." he said before giving him a quick peck on his lips. Rin sighed and tightened his hold a little.

" I love you." he said pressing his forehead against the bluenett's who closed his eyes and smiled.

" I love you too, Rin-san." he said and the two of them laughed again happily, both relieved that they didn't have to hide anything anymore.


End file.
